Thursday, January 21, 2010

Press release - announcing the grant award

For Immediate Use

Shaena Engle, engle@gseis.ucla.edu

(310) 206-5951


UCLA DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION STUDIES AWARDED $ 351 , 398 GRANT FROM THE INSTITUTE OF MUSEUM AND LIBRARY SERVICES

UCLA’s Department of Information Studies, housed in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies (GSE&IS), was awarded a $351,398 grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The new project, "Creating Collaborative Catalogs," will partner Information Studies students and faculty with the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center in Zuni, New Mexico, to create a collaborative catalog enabling people from Native communities to view, learn about, and comment on objects currently housed in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the Denver Art Museum, the Museum of Northern Arizona, and Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

“The project brings museums and source communities closer together to develop and share knowledge about culturally-significant museum collections in culturally-appropriate ways,” said Information Studies Assistant Professor Ramesh Srinivasan, principal investigator for the project. This project represents an important step forward in museum-community collaboration, allowing tribes to begin setting the record straight while keeping intellectual property protections around some areas of traditional knowledge. To learn more about the “Creating Collaborative Catalogs” project, please visit http://www.collaborativecatalogs.blogspot.com

“We believe that museums and libraries play an important role in building a competitive workforce and engaged citizenry. We are equally confident that these institutions will elevate museum and library practice through this work,” said Anne-Imelda M. Radice, director of IMLS.

The UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies (GSE&IS) includes two departments - the Department of Education and the Department of Information Studies. Together, the two departments embody the school's commitment to understand and improve educational practice and policy and information systems and policy in a diverse society. GSE&IS’s academic programs bring together faculties and students committed to expanding the range of knowledge in education, information science and associated disciplines. Its professional programs seek to develop librarians, teachers, administrators and information professionals within the enriched context of a research university.

The largest museum and library joint grant program administered by IMLS, National Leadership Grants support projects that will advance the ability of museums and libraries to preserve culture, heritage, and knowledge while enhancing learning. This year’s National Leadership Grant recipients will generate new tools, research, models, services, practices, and alliances that will positively impact both the awarded institution and the nation.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 123,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.

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